Amidst a Raging Blizzard
by Concealed Shadow
Summary: It all began when Thatch and Marco went to climb a mountain during a snowstorm. Stupid, right? Things kinda went to hell from there...
1. He Was Almost Died

_**Yeah. I know. Another story... It was in my head for a while, and I just started writing it down. I also kinda lost inspiration for **_**Burning in the Night**_**, but I have it plotted out. Not sure when the next chapter will be posted, though. As for this story- I already wrote the next chapter, but I won't post it until I've finished the third one. I've also started working on three other stories, one of which is probably going to be a oneshot :)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

"How much farther is it, Thatch?!" Marco shouted through the blizzard. His brother turned to look back at him.

"Not much farther now!" They slowly continued making their way higher and higher up the mountain. They had been walking for a good two hours already.

"That's what you said an hour ago! What's so important that we have to come all the way up here in this weather, anyway?!" They both trudged onward through the snowstorm, trying to hide their faces from the pelting snow. The wind was so strong, it threatened to knock them over, and every single step had to be carefully planned so neither of the men slipped on the traitorous ice.

"Only the best snowberries ever! Come on, Marco! You know the snowberries are only ripe during snowstorms! I want to at least taste one before I die!" Marco looked around them.

"Seeing this blizzard, it's very probable that you will! And you're gonna take me to the grave along with you! I don't see any plantation around, though! Are you sure that we're going the right way?!"

"Hell yeah, I am! We were supposed to head north, and the compass shows we're going north! I have a map, and by the looks of it, we're getting closer with each and every step!" Thatch said, full of confidence.

"Marco, how can you not trust in my ability to get us there safely?!" Marco rolled his eyes. He sped up to catch up to his brother, who was already quite a ways ahead of him.

"Thatch, this is a bad idea! Why don't we just go back to the village?! We can come back and satisfy your craving for frostberries some other time, when the blizzard isn't this strong!" Thatch bit his lip. The wind had been getting stronger for some time now, and the snow pelting their faces had suddenly become more plentiful. He was, in fact, more than a little worried about his and Marco's safety, but his stubbornness and determination kept him from going back home empty-handed.

"Nonsense, Marco! Look, see those bushes over there?!" Thatch pointed to a speck of red in the distance. "Those are frostberry bushes! We can't stop now, I promised Haruta I'd make her an frostberry milkshake when we get back. Wouldn't want to disappoint the kid, would you?!" He shouted over the wind. Marco didn't answer. When Thatch turned to look at him, he noticed his brother looking at something far off in the distance. He frowned.

"Is that-?" He started, but Marco grabbed his arm and began pulling him to a rock that protruded slightly from the steep mountain as fast as he could.

"It's an avalanche!" Thatch looked up once again, only to see the wave of snow coming down on the both of them. All of a sudden, he felt someone push him as hard as he could under the rock. Thatch landed hard on the ice, and looked back to his brother. Marco had a relieved look on his face, and Thatch couldn't fathom why.

"Marco, what are you doing?! Get ove-" He cut himself off the moment he saw the snow crash into his brother, dragging him along with it towards the foot of the mountain. His eyes widened in horror.

"Marco!" He shouted desperately, before a curtain of snow came over the rock and blocked the outside world from his view.

Thatch didn't know how long he sat there. With each passing moment, he was more and more sure that Marco couldn't have survived such a fall. He could have hit his head on a rock. He could be lying somewhere underneath a giant pile of snow, losing oxygen by the minute. He could be freezing as Thatch thought about it.

His big brother had saved him. Thatch grit his teeth, trying to keep the tears from falling. It was his fault Marco was most likely dead somewhere. It was his. Damn. Fault! He was the one who wanted to go climbing a mountain during a snowstorm. Now that he thought about it, it was a miracle they had even managed to make it this far.

His brother had used the small amount of time he had left to get him to safety. It was only thanks to him Thatch was alive. But for how long? He kept staring at the waterfall of snow cascading over the rock.

The moment the avalanche had passed Thatch was out from under the rock and into the blizzard once again. He made his way down the mountain as fast as he could without killing himself. He shouted Marco's name until his voice was hoarse and his throat hurt like hell. The moment his eyes fell on the village he lived in, he broke into a run and made his way straight to the local self-proclaimed law enforcers.

Thatch practically flew into the building, and ran straight to the Chief's office.

"Oyaji, you've got to help me! There was an avalancheandithitMarcoandIlookedforhimbutIcan'tfindhimandohmyGodwhatdoIdoit'sallmyfault!" Thatch spoke, trying to get everything out at once, but seeing the confused and slightly bewildered look on his father's face he forced himself to slow down.

"There was an avalanche," he started, "It hit Marco. I looked for him, but I couldn't find him! What if he's dead?! It's all my fault! What should I do?!" The big man with a giant mustache whom he'd called Oyaji stood up the moment he heard that one of his sons might quite possibly be dead. He patted Thatch on the head and rushed to the main part of the building, where the other men currently were. He cleared his throat and raised his voice.

"My sons, there's been a tragedy. One of your brothers is in trouble." He nudged Thatch, who had walked with him to this room. The redhead started explaining what had happened as fast as he could, knowing that they were short on time.

"I want you two-" Oyaji, or Whitebeard, as he was called by some, pointed to two men on his left, "to go and find some villagers willing to help us find Marco. We have to make good use of whatever time we have. The rest of you, get your gear. We're going up the mountain to look for Marco. I want to make good use of the daylight. When it starts to get dark, I want every single one of you back in the village. Nobody else is going to get hurt." Whitebeard turned to face Thatch. "Thatch, go and get some rest. You look like you've been fed to a paper shredder. Twice."

Indeed, Thatch's teeth were chattering. He was all wet, as the snow that had been covering his clothes had melted the moment he had stepped into the heated building, and his hair was disheveled.

"If you don't find Marco today, than we'll look for him again tomorrow!"

All around, people hung their heads.

Everyone knew that the chances of finding Marco alive were slim.

Very slim.


	2. But He Was Saved

_**Yo! I would like to express my endless gratitude to people who reviewed, favorited, or followed the story. I love you guys! TAT**_

_**Special thanks to MyLadyDay, who took the time to advertise my good-for-nothing story on Tumblr. Thank you! QAQ**_

_**I wanted to post this some other time, but taking into account the fact that it's Valentine's Day, and all...**_

* * *

Marco remembered opening his eyes a few times. He remembered the short glimpses he got of his surroundings before he faded away again. He recalled someone feeding him, forcing him to drink. He knew he was in some sort of cave. But where? Was he still in the mountains somewhere? There was no sign of snow, but once or twice he was pretty sure he felt freezing cold air come into the enclosed space, though that wasn't saying much seeing as it was winter.

When Marco finally came to his senses, he was more than sure that a few days had passed. He tried to lift his arm, only to find that he could barely twitch his fingers. Trying his best not to panic, he carefully assessed his surroundings.

He was right before. He most certainly was in a cave. It looked quite spacious, too, far bigger than he had originally though it to be. He seemed to be lying by the wall on a heap of dried grass, if the smell was anything to go by, covered by a thick dark red blanket. Mustering up whatever little strength he had, Marco turned his head to the right.

His eyes took in the sight of the ring of small stones, surrounding a slight indentation in the rock. Inside the circle, he could see ashes of many burnt-out fires. Farther down there was an opening in the cave wall which looked like it might be some kind of corridor leading further into the cave.

Marco let his eyes roam the room once again, before snapping them back to the opening the moment he heard footsteps coming his way.

The man who entered was... most definitely odd. He wore an orange cowboy hat with two faces, one smiling and the other frowning, located right over the brim, and unbuttoned yellow shirt, black cargo pants, and boots. He also seemed to have numerous accessories, like the orange thing covering the elbow of his right arm, a red and white striped bracelet, and some weird contraption that consisted of an orb with a needle inside, placed in another bracelet. He had chin-length wavy black hair, and dark gray eyes. A closer look at his face revealed an abundance of freckles dotting his cheeks in a way that seemed almost artistic to Marco.

The moment their eyes met, a wide grin spread across the stranger's face, and his eyes lit up.

"You're awake!" He exclaimed. "How do you feel?" Marco blinked a few times as his muddled mind made sense of what was being said to him.

"Alright, I guess," he croaked. "Where am I?"

The man came closer. Though, now that Marco got a closer look at him, he looked to be no older than 18.

"In my house. Well, if you can call it that. It's a cave situated more or less in the middle of the mountain." Marco frowned. Just why did this man, no, this boy, live so far away from society? He watched as the man put down firewood Marco hadn't noticed he was carrying, and started to arrange each branch in a cone-like figure inside the stone circle.

"Do you know what happened to me?" He inquired carefully. The stranger shrugged his shoulders. It was only then that Marco became aware of the tattoo on his arm.

"Ace?" The stranger spun around to face him once again, a look of slight confusion on his face. Marco nodded towards the tattoo, and watched the confused expression change into one of realization.

"Yeah. And you are?" He asked.

"My name's Marco. So... how did I get here?" He asked, curious.

"Found you half-dead after the avalanche passed. It brings cool stuff from up the mountain sometimes, but I never expected it to bring down a half-dead _human_." The way he said human slightly unnerved Marco.

"What do you mean by half-dead?" He asked. _Ace _placed the last piece of wood in the middle of the structure before he answered.

"Big gash on forehead. Giant fever. Twisted ankle. Frostbite. Possibly broken ribs?" Marco's eyebrows furrowed.

"Then why don't I feel any pain?" He demanded. Ace sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I gave you herbs for the pain. And the fever. And I managed to stitch up that big red line above your left eye." Ace mimed the cut, sliding the index finger of his left hand along his own forehead. Once again, he turned away to face the heap of wood. He reached out his hand and gripped the only branch that stuck straight up. Marco raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could possibly be doing, when the stranger's hand suddenly caught fire. Marco yelped, and his eyes went wide with fear. That was the moment everything clicked into place.

"Y-you're a witch!" He shouted loudly. As Ace turned to face him once again, Marco looked away, trying to find some way to get out of the room, temporarily forgetting about his injuries.

"Yeah. That, I am," came the reply. He fought the urge to flinch when Ace moved closer to the makeshift bed Marco was lying on. Hesitantly, Marco lifted his blue eyes up to meet the boy's gray ones. Although they were mostly shadowed by his bangs, he could still make out a slight hardness to them.

"Is that a problem?" Ace asked. Marco mutely shook his head, eyes still darting around the cave for a means of escape.

"You don't have to be scared of me, you know." Ace's voice was low and barely audible, even in the silent cave. Marco's heart was beating a mile a minute, and the adrenaline that coursed through his veins had erased any previous disorientation from his mind.

"Not scared of you?! You're a witch! You've signed a contract with the _devil_!" Marco shouted. Ace chuckled darkly.

"Is that what they say about us these days?" He turned away to face the fire again. "Just go back to sleep for now. You need rest if you want your wounds to heal. If you feel better by... well, when you can walk again, you can go back down the mountain to wherever you came from." Marco seriously doubted he would be able to fall asleep again for quite a while, but didn't voice his thoughts. "I promise I won't hurt you," Ace said in a quiet voice.

Marco didn't know how long they stayed like that, with him lying in the makeshift bed and observing Ace, and the latter sitting before the fire, but eventually, his eyes grew droopy, and he couldn't help but to succumb to his exhaustion.

* * *

When Marco opened his eyes again, Ace was nowhere to be seen and the fire had long since gone out. He tried not to panic. He really did. But being within such close proximity of a witch of all things?! Any normal man would freak out. Should Marco have been able to, he would have killed the other as soon as he found out about his powers. Sure, a part of him would have felt guilty, slaying the one who saved his life, but in the end, it was all for the greater good, was it not?

* * *

As the days went on, Marco reluctantly became accustomed to the idea of living underneath the same roof as a witch. When Ace appeared, he always had a smile on his face. He would talk about whatever was on his mind, and Marco would just keep staring at him. Well, until one day.

"Lots of people are born with powers, you know. Most of them never awaken them, though." This caught Marco's attention, and, for the first time in days, he spoke.

"You mean I might know people who could be witches, and they don't even know it themselves?" Ace looked surprised when he voiced his question, but a smile slid into place on his face.

"Sure. All the nonsense humans made up about witches, the contracts with devils and such, it's all a myth. Even you could have powers and not know about them." Marco's face showed disgust and his eyes turned cold.

"Never. I would never be like you." Ace hummed.

"But what if you are, though? What if you did have powers? What would you do then? You sure as hell wouldn't be able to stay around humans. They'd shun you away, burn you at the stake, torture you until you wished you were dead..." He trailed off. Marco's eyes took on a slightly sympathetic.

"Is that what happened to you?" He asked quietly, not certain whether or not he wanted to hear the answer. Ace stayed silent, a darkness entering his eyes, before he changed the topic, and forced a smile.

"Do you know how powers are revealed? It's usually a traumatic experience. Although, a witch can... unlock... a person's powers with their consent. It rarely works though, and only experienced witches are able to do it to people they share close bonds with. That is, of course, if they _do _have hidden powers in the first place."

* * *

Marco never broached the subject again. He found his daily talks with Ace somewhat interesting, and, though he was reluctant to admit it, he was starting to like the boy, even if he was still wary of him.

He learned a lot of things during his time spent with the witch, some of which Ace probably shouldn't have said if he cared at all for his own well-being. Supposedly, the only thing that could completely cancel out powers was something called seastone. Since Marco had never heard of it, it must have been pretty rare.

Ace had narcolepsy. Marco learned that the hard way. One day, during one of their talks, Ace suddenly fell backwards, straight into the fire behind him. Marco was about to get up, disregarding his injuries, but didn't when he heard the witch snoring and saw that the flames weren't hurting him. When he had woken up, Ace had explained everything that had happened to him and apologized for the scare.

Once, when Marco asked him why he never wore a coat, Ace had told him that he no longer felt temperatures, thanks to his powers. Marco raised his eyebrows at that. It was no wonder he could live in a cave up on the mountain during winter and not freeze to death. It turned out Ace had been keeping the fire going only for Marco's benefit.

* * *

"You have _how _many brothers?!" Ace shouted with a shocked expression on his face.

"Thirteen brothers and one sister," Marco replied easily, snickering at the bewildered look on the other's face.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Ace whispered. Marco shook his head and grinned.

"We're adopted, though. Our father's name is Edward Newgate, but most people call him Whitebeard. Funny thing is, he has a mustache, not a beard..." Marco trailed off, and the grin slid off his face.

"You alright?" Ace asked him. Marco swallowed.

"Yeah... It's just that... they all probably think that I'm dead.." They sat in silence for a while.

"Imagine how happy they'll all be to find out that you're alive, then." Marco's lips twitched.

"Yeah... It's definitely something to look forward to. Ace..." Marco started.

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any family?" Marco could have sword he saw anger flash in Ace's eyes before it disappeared.

"Yeah. I have... had two bothers. Luffy and Sabo," Ace said quietly.

"Had?" Marco inquired. Ace bit his lip.

"Sabo died when I was 10. And I have no idea whether or not Luffy's still alive." Marco frowned.

"Sorry." Ace shook his head.

"It's okay."

* * *

Roughly a month later, Ace deemed Marco healthy enough to try to walk on his own.

His now-friend helped him up, and released his arm as soon as he was steady on his feet. Marco took one step, and had to catch Ace's hand to keep from cashing to the rock floor. Eventually, though, after the first few steps, he seemed to regain his sense of balance and managed to walk around the small room all by himself. He looked up to see a slightly forced smile on Ace's face.

"I... I guess you're going home now that you can walk, huh?" The witch asked. Marco frowned. During the time he had been here, he had grown attached to the boy. He hadn't thought it possible, but... the witch had a charismatic air about him... and an interesting personality Marco couldn't help but be attracted to.

"Can't you come with me?" He asked. Ace shook his head, hair whipping around as he looked down at his own feet.

"Trust me. I'm better off here."

_**I do trust you**_, Marco realized. He frowned. Ace would be all alone again. For how long had he not spoken to another person before Marco came along? Seven years? Marco's heart clenched at the thought of leaving the boy all alone again. Even though he had only known the other for a month, they had developed a bond. He was certain that Ace trusted him just as much as he trusted Ace. Which, considering how their relationship had started off, was a lot.

Over the course of time, he had come to learn that witches weren't that bad. They felt pain, anger, joy, sorrow. The first one he had found out when Ace had accidentally cut his hand open with a seastone knife. Red fluid had splattered down to the floor, and Ace had hissed in pain. When Marco had asked why he had the weapon, Ace had explained that he needed some sort of protection from the other witches, who apparently had no qualm about hurting others of their kind. He had watched as Ace walked to the other room and came back with a sheet up moss pressed against the wound on the palm of his hand.

Witches were a lot like humans in many aspects.

"In that case, I promise I'll come visit you," Marco decided. "After all, I have to repay you for your help somehow, right? I wasn't exactly kind to you for the first week and a half or so." At this Ace cracked a smile.

"You promise?" He asked.

"I promise." A wide grin replaced the small smile.

"It's a deal, then!" Marco returned the smile with a sincere one of his own. Ace told Marco to follow him as he walked through the corridor.

It was the first time Marco had come through here. The hallway had openings that led to even more rooms Marco had never seen before: a library, a kitchen, etc...

"Did you make all of this yourself?" He asked Ace, amazed.

"Nahh. This used to be a summer island, you know. And these are old lava tunnels. All I had to do was... fix them up a little," the witch explained.

They walked on, and eventually they came to a dead-end. Marco scrunched his eyebrows, when Ace walked up to the rock at the end of the tunnel and pulled on a barely visible rope. The 'wall' traveled upwards, and for the first time in a month, Marco was met with daylight. Not the fire that gave off light in this secluded cave, but real sunlight. He ran outside. Ace walked out behind him after tying the end of the rope around a metal ring attached to the opposite 'wall' inside so that the rock didn't shut him out from the cave. He lifted his arm and pointed straight ahead.

"If you keep walking in the direction of the setting sun, you're bound to reach the village by nightfall." Marco turned around in his direction, wanting to once again thank Ace for saving his life, but Ace said it before him.

"Thanks you." Marco tilted his head to the side slightly.

"What for?" He asked, disoriented.

"For not shunning me away. For not calling me a monster. For being my friend, someone I can trust, even if it was for only a short while. Really, it meant a lot to me." _**Meant**_**? **"Goodbye, Marco," he said, and, not giving Marco a chance to answer him, practically ran back to the cave, letting the rock fall behind him, sealing him off from the outside world. From Marco

Marco just stared after him, dumbstruck.

"W-wait..." he whispered into the nothingness. He stayed in place, staring at where Ace had disappeared for a few seconds. Eventually, he sighed, turned around, and began walking in the direction Ace had pointed in. No matter what, he would keep his promise and come visit Ace again soon. _Nothing _would stop him.

* * *

Ace slid down to the ground and hid his face in his hands. Deep down inside, he knew that he would probably never see Marco again. It was probably for the better, too. Marco's sudden appearance back at his village was bound to raise questions. He had been gone for a month, and now he appeared out of nowhere...

Marco wouldn't tell them about a witch saving him, would he?

Ace sighed, thinking about the trouble he might have gotten himself into.

But in the end, it was worth it, right?

* * *

_**Shitty story is shitty. Sorry about that. I have a bad habit of rushing things...**_

_**So, how about a review? *wiggles eyebrows***_


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